Sun Kissed
by Skaiaa
Summary: With a long summer break ahead of him, Sora finds himself juggling a new job, his best friends, and the prospect of something more with a new encounter. RikuSora, future LeonSora
1. Chapter 1

a/n: okay so it's rikusora for now considering they do have _something_ of a close relationship going, though the pairing will change maybe nine or so chapters in to leonsora. it seems appropriate to change it as i go along.

watch out for little kisses and touches between the two best friends, because i think those will be rather frequent

* * *

Summer time was one of the most dreadful times of the year for Sora. Not the heat, mind you; oh heavens no, he adored the heat, he thrived in it. It was the vacation that devastated him, left him on his own for the better part of over two months with next to nothing to do. Summers as a child had been a different story entirely; he'd spent every single day of his free time playing and adventuring with his two best friends.

But things had changed over the years.

Along came summer flings, summer jobs, and – most hated – summer camp. Sora usually ended up with the short end of the stick, more often than not having none of the above. (Unless you counted mowing his neighbor's lawn, which Sora did not in fact consider a real job.)

So he was left to fend for himself during the long period of excruciating boredom and loneliness. But that was just one of the innumerable reasons the brunet did not take joy in the hot months. In addition to having no one to do anything _with_, Sora found that at fifteen, there was scarcely anything to do in the first place.

Exploring, despite how childish he was constantly told that it was, was still something he loved doing. Or at least, would have loved doing if every single island in the district hadn't already been picked apart by the trio.

School was generally his only reprieve from the listlessness that accompanied most of his days.

And with less than a day left of the school year, Sora could feel his stomach churning at the very thought of the final bell. Man, he had to be one of the only kids not excited to get off school.

Absently doodling profanities in his notebook, the boy missed the bell signaling the end of the block and was literally shaken from his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. Bright blue eyes turned upwards to find one of his best friends of over ten years looking down at him with a slightly amused expression. It was more teasing than anything and Sora felt himself automatically slipping into his childishly defensive mode.

"I should get Kairi to make you a dream catcher necklace, you daydream so much it's a wonder how you function." Riku commented, smile stretching his features as Sora donned a look of mock offence and indignantly brushed his hand off his shoulder. He stood, collecting his scattered books and papers as Riku moved to help him.

"I wasn't daydreaming you asshole, I was thinking about summer," he retorted.

'_Very clever Sora, asshole is such a creative insult. He's really going to be hurt this time.'_

He shooed away his thoughts, frowning at nothing in particular as Riku let out a light snort. Sora made a face, letting out an exasperated sound as he dropped a stack of papers.

Before he could complain about it, Riku bent down, swiftly collecting the remainder of the boy's things and adjusting his own load to carry most of Sora's. He was used to the boy being dishevelled enough not to be able to organize his own things enough to fit them all into his own arms.

"Finally, hey? One more block and I get to sail out of this building for a nice long break," Riku replied, knowing full well that his comment wouldn't get a favorable reaction out of the shorter teen but shrugging it off and guiding Sora out of the classroom anyways.

As if on cue, Sora let out a garbled sound of distaste, reaching their set of lockers and slumping against them.

"Don't remind me. I'm trying to convince myself this isn't happening again." Sora mumbled, turning an accusatory glare at Riku like he was the sole reason the school year was coming to an end.

Riku let out a light laugh, the sound not lost on Sora above the chatter going on all around them. The sound made the brunet smile despite himself, hiding the fond look in the collar of his white button up. No matter how many times he had heard that laugh, the deep chuckle would never cease to be one of his favorite things.

"Come on little dreamer, It's not that bad. We'll be making the best of it. I promised I'd spend all of my time off with you, didn't I?" Riku assured, smooth voice weaseling underneath the din of all the others and slipping right into Sora's ears.

The brunet pursed his lips, letting out a soft little defeated sigh and turning worried blue orbs up to look at Riku. He was rewarded with an affectionate smile, Riku reaching up to ruffle his already messy brown spikes.

"And besides, Kairi's not going away this summer, so we'll all be around this year. It'll be fine. It's my final summer as an official high school student. We'll go camping or something. Next year's grad for me and summer won't be the same. I promise we'll make it special."

And with that, Sora was placated, unable to argue with the soft persuasion that Riku held in his voice. Another small sigh was let out, this time accompanied by a tiny growl of agreement. The taller boy seemed satisfied with this and turned back to their lockers. Sora watched as he opened them, emptying them of most of their contents and occasionally passing Sora a stack of papers to cram into his bag.

It really hit him then, as it did every year, that school was over and they'd be separated more often than not for the next what seemed like forever.

"I hate summer." Sora stated simply, zipping up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. Before Riku could offer him some kind of answer, the shrill cry of the next bell resounded through the halls and almost immediately the throngs of people thinned out to next to nothing, most having been idling next to their classrooms until the very last second.

He was pushed off to a nearby classroom by Riku, the silverette with something of a smug expression on his face.

"Get going, you'll have time to whine later. I'll come pick you up after class?" His voice ended with a clear proposition; as if Sora would actually turn down that offer. The brunet nodded slowly, mustering up a bright smile before waving Riku off.

Riku promptly turned away, starting up a light jog to get to his own class on time. It was ironic; Sora, the one that never managed to be on time for anything, had a near spotless attendance record thanks to his best friend. Riku, on the other hand, Mr. Stick-up-his-ass for being on time, had a late mark every single day for almost all of _his_ classes. He sacrificed his own potentially clear track record to make sure that Sora didn't miss so much as homeroom.

Dedicated was a gross understatement.

Sora recognized his efforts, even though he fell short of _understanding_ them. He'd stopped pestering Riku about it years ago, and now accepted it as one of their traditions. Besides, he was ridiculously grateful. Being a year apart often left the two with little time together during school hours, sans lunch, and it was one of his favorite things when he got to walk to his next class with Riku.

The last block went by devastatingly quick, Sora having done little more than stare at the clock and will time to slow to a stop. His efforts were fruitless though, and before he knew it, the final bell was ringing and kids were springing from their seats with cries of freedom.

He was wished a happy summer and swept into the hall with the rest of his classmates.

He waited dutifully by the door until he could see a familiar head of silver hair bobbing above the rest. Riku reached him eventually, pressing close in between the mass of people and looping his hand around Sora's wrist so as not to lose him as they walked.

It was almost a frenzy; kids scrambling and yelling and shoving at each other to get to the door as fast as possible. Sora grinned and let the sounds overtake him. If there was one thing he liked about summer, it was this; the official moment that school let out.

Over two thousand kids erupted into a heated delirium of paper and cheers. It was like they'd just been released from the very gates of hell themselves.

Sora closed his eyes, focusing on the mass of noises rather than trying to distinguish between them all. He loved things that were feverish and uncontrolled. Rules and order weren't his thing, preferences laying with loud noises and busy atmospheres. Aka, everything that came with a high school on its last day.

He drew most of his energy from others, even if the other wasn't particularly loud and boisterous. Even quieter people, such as Riku, would be enough for him. It was just the act of being around someone in itself that made him happiness.

He was an extrovert through and through, and he loved it that way.

He slipped his blue eyes open to find Riku quietly observing him, and in a fit of rash impulse, the brunet let a wide grin take over his features as he leaned forward to press his lips lightly against his friend's.

Most kids were too distracted to notice the brief display of affection, and Sora watched as the corners of Riku's lips quirked up into a small smile. Within moments, the brunet was dissolving into a fit of laughter, practically shaking with it as Riku pulled them against the flow of people and back up to their lockers.

Upon reaching them, his hysterics had quieted and Riku rounded on him and tried to look somewhat stern.

"You`re a handful, you know that? At least warn me next time, I could have sworn I saw your math teacher give us a look."

At this, Sora just burst out laughing all over again, leaving Riku to run his hand through his silver hair and attend to whatever was left in their lockers as Sora doubled over against the wall.

The silence was filled with an occasional gasp as the brunet tried to control his sudden buzz and finally - when Riku walked back over to him and dumped what looked like a million sheets of paper into the recycling – he managed to pull himself together and stand up straight.

"The teacher's are going to think we're dating." Riku said simply, holding his hand out for Sora to take as the boys made their way through now mostly empty halls.

Sora took the offered hand, shrugging and pulling Riku towards the entrance.

"So? Let 'em. 'Sides, they've got over two months to forget about it. It's not the first time someone assumed that we're actually together." Sora countered, still feeling slightly giddy as Riku took the lead and guided them towards the school parking lot.

They walked over to Riku's car, finally untangling their fingers to clamber inside the small two door Camero. This car was Riku's baby. Sora was positive there wasn't a thing more important to Riku than his car, much to Sora's displeasure. It was white, not too old and not very new either. So generally not _that_ expensive. Sora wasn't sure how he'd managed to afford it though, considering Riku had only been working at Cid's for three months before he'd purchased the thing.

Riku had offered his a vague explanation that he'd just been saving for a long time, but Sora had a sneaking suspicion that Riku had sucked off the dude at the car dealership to land the car. Kairi had, through her laughter at the idea, backed him up on it.

Riku completely denied all the not-so-subtle allegations his friends had tossed at him, but Sora still wasn't convinced.

"Hey, little dreamer boy, snap out of it and buckle up, we have to get a move on, I have a shift in an hour and I gotta get you all the way up to Kairi's." Riku said suddenly, pulling Sora from his thoughts and making the brunet realize he'd just been sitting there staring out the window for five minutes.

He promptly fastened his seat belt, turning to give Riku an inquisitive look.

"Kairi's?" He asked simply. Riku absently nodded as he pulled out of the school parking lot. Sora turned to shoot the school one last lingering gaze before he finally accepted that the year was over and summer had begun.

"Yeah, she said she wanted you over. And it's just like her to skip out on the last day of school. I offered to drive you because unlike her, I knew you'd be with me." He explained evenly, not even glancing at the brunet in favor of keeping his eyes on the road.

"Oh." Sora said, not really having much else to say about that, thoughts instead turning to what Kairi needed on a sunny Friday afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

pchooo chapter two and we're trucking along, say hello to leon everyone! also a little island description?

* * *

True to his word, Riku dutifully drove Sora all the way across the bridge and over to the sixth island, Kairi's island. Sora liked this island, considering it was the one closest in appearance to his and had a quaint feel to it.

There were seven islands in the Destiny District, sitting in a curved line and, Sora had pointed out at the age of five, positioned somewhat like a crescent moon. Sora lived on the seventh, the one furthest out, and found it more than a little inconvenient. Riku lived on the fifth, and the high school was also located on the fifth island.

The elementary had been on the sixth, and much to Sora's complaints, nothing was _ever_ on the seventh island. The fourth was their favorite spot, the play island. Where tree houses and secret niches were plentiful. The third was where most of the trades were located. Stuff like mechanics and electricians and the like. Riku worked there, at Cid's mechanic shop – a place Sora had only ever visited once. –

The second island was, yes, the largest island, and was by far the most popular. It wasn't so much residential as it was shopping centers and tourist attractions and city life. It was coupled with a few high rises and suburban areas, but it was the island with the most activity. Locals called it Twilight Town. The name was bordering on official considering how often it was tossed around in tourist brochures.

And last but not least, there was the first island, second biggest and officially one of the sketchier areas of the districts. In fact, it was practically the _only_ questionable area.

Radiant Garden was the founding father of the rest of the islands, having been populated first as people had spread out with the courage to explore further, as Sora heard in history every single year.

The gardens had apparently been a beautiful place but over time, crowding and a general shift in atmosphere had turn the island into a seedy area. Sora didn't have any opinions on it, not having often been there. In fact, he'd been there twice, for reasons he couldn't seem to remember. All he knew was that the city had a teeming nightlife and an assortment of odds and ends stores ranging from pawn shops to ivory jewelers. Apparently the place earned itself a nickname: Hollow Bastion.

Anyways, Sora insisted that Riku drop him off at the closest bus stop, demanding that Riku head to work or he'd be late. The silverette had grudgingly agreed, though Sora could see how badly he was itching to get to work. He was deposited at the bus stop with a ruffle of his hair and the promise of a future phone call.

The bus trip to Kairi's took a little over ten minutes, Sora taking the time to twiddle his thumbs and enjoy the stifling heat of summer. He reached Kairi's a little before four, the door swinging open before he'd even gotten to the front step.

"Sora! Perfect, hand over your bag, we'll have to get you going right away. He said the order would be there by four so you'll probably get there a little after five. Maybe closer to six? Whatever. Come inside, hurry up!"

This auburn haired flurry of activity was best friend number two. Sora was swept inside, his backpack snatched from him and his tie loosened before he could even utter a hello.

"Kairi wha-"

He was cut off with an impatient sigh as his wallet was thrust back into his pocket – when had she even – and Kairi was tapping him on the lips to get him to shut up and listen.

"I need you to do me a favor; a super big really giant favor. My ID and purchase receipt are in your wallet, so you'll just hand the man that and say you're picking up my delivery okay? It's mine and Tidus' six month anniversary tomorrow and I custom ordered him a new staff from this little weapons shop down in Radiant Garden. I was supposed to pick it up myself but I've still got a million things to do by tomorrow and I need you to please please please do this for me or I won't have time to set up anything else. You'll do this for me right? Pretty please?"

Sora was floored, trying to absorb everything Kairi said at that speed took a fair bit of practice, and he wasn't quite a master at it yet even after all these years.

"You want me to go all the way down to Hollow Bastion?" Was his smart response. That tid bit was that one that stood out the most for him, considering that was a long trip.

"Yes, here, I've got one of your skateboards," she said, rummaging around in the shoe closet for a moment before procuring the little white board with wings and black designs. It wasn't his favorite board, but it was **_a_ **board.

"You want me to go all the way down to Hollow Bastion on my _skateboard_?" He repeated, tiny emphasis added on the end as his blue eyes widened and he fully processed Kairi's request and she pressed the board into his hands.

"Well, not all the way, you're going to have to use the train. But I figured this would make the trip quicker in between stops and when you've got to wait too long for the bus. I need you back here by eight at the latest so I can wrap it and hide it before daddy gets home from work," she explained, nudging him out the door slowly as Sora stumbled.

"Why didn't you just get Riku to get it after work!" He exclaimed, gathering his bearings at last and turning an incredulous face towards the petite girl.

"He's got work! You know he gets off at seven thirty and wouldn't make it back in time! Oh please, Sora?"

Her voice was desperate and begging, showing that she was genuine and punching Sora's defenses right in the face.

"... But it's far," he argued weakly, sticking out his lower lip slightly in defeat.

"I know, I know. This would mean the world to me though, and Tidus too. Please?"

And with that, she stepped forward, cupping Sora's face and placing a soft kiss on his cheekbone before turning bright blue eyes onto his and giving him _the_ look.

And Sora caved.

How could he not, with that stupid expression Kairi always got everything she wanted from the two boys. With an exaggerated groan and a small cheer from Kairi, she was pushing him away and down the front steps, a small wave and a loud, "thank you!" were all Sora was left with.

The trip to Hollow Bastion took forever, Sora alternating between busses and the train and his skateboard. He arrived a little after five thirty, sweat making his shirt stick to his skin in all the wrong places. His spikes had also suffered, a few of the brown locks sticking to his forehead.

He usually did really well in the heat, tan skin barely letting out any moisture and leaving him perfectly comfortable to enjoy the summer.

It was the exertion of running to catch busses and skateboarding around and the press of bodies on the train that had left him feeling gross and sticky and most of all, grumpy.

Following the little map and directions Kairi had stashed away in his wallet, Sora made his way through weaving streets and odd stores, avoiding the small alleys even though the sun was still shining brightly. He stopped to read the number beside a door when it was flung open by a tall blond male with spikes as wild as his.

The man passed him with little more than a glance, striding over to a sleek motorcycle and climbing on. Sora watched in fascination, finding motorcycles to be pretty neat, as the man sped off down the street.

To his luck, the address on the very same building matched the one Kairi had given him, and he pushed the heavy door out of the way and slipped inside, skateboard tucked safely under his arm.

The store had quiet feel to it.

It wasn't lit, the sun that was shining through the front display window more than enough to light the rest of the store. He assumed that by the dim orange glow coming from the back, there were lights on further in.

What really blew him away though, were the grand assortment of weapons on display.

It had everything.

Staffs and swords and guns and daggers and katanas and nun chucks and brass knuckles and everything else in between.

"Woah." He breathed, hand reaching out to touch one of the sharp blades that wasn't behind a display case.

"Sign says don't touch, I'd suggest you adhere to that."

Sora jolted away from the knife, retracting his fingers immediately and turning back to the previously empty counter. Behind it now stood a man, arms crossed and looking less than happy with Sora's very presence.

He was tall, taller than Riku and taller than a lot of the teachers he'd had the previous year. Sora would have pegged him at maybe 6'4 or 6'5. He'd always been kind of bad with height, but that seemed about right. Compared to his own 5'5 and a half, he was suddenly feeling dwarfed.

The man had his arms crossed, covering some sort of red logo on his white t-shirt and the sour expression on his face reminded Sora that he was staring at a stranger and not saying much of anything at all.

He shuffled closer, only to be stilled by the same deep voice that had spoken before; now able to observe the mouth it was coming out of.

"Too young, kid." He said, frowning at Sora from behind his counter. In response, Sora just tilted back, resting his hands behind his head and resuming his walk up to the counter for a closer look at the man, setting his board down and pushing it along with him

"I'm not here to buy anything." He said, buying himself a little time to observe his face. The first thing his eyes were drawn to was the large scar, the one that spanned from his right eyebrow all the way down to just below his left eye. From there he was drawn to his eyes themselves. They were a hazy blue, bordering on grey and causing Sora to purse his lips at the sight of them and realize, yet again, that he was staring.

He'd also apparently missed a question, because he was being asked if he was deaf along with blind. A frown overtook his features, and he turned his nose up in the man's general direction.

"I'm not deaf. I- I'm just here to pick up something," he said, rather than admitting he'd been staring. As if to prove himself,he reached for his wallet and rifled through it to procure Kairi's ID and receipt.

He handed it to the man, who accepted it with a small grunt.

While he observed it, Sora took the time to take in the rest of him. His nose was a touch crooked, implying it'd been broken at least once. He had hair a little darker than Sora's and in a messy disarray that looked suspiciously styled. He watched thin lips purse at the receipt before the man spoke up again, handing the ID back.

"Wait here."

And Sora waited, watching as he turned away and disappeared into some little back door. He observed the shop again, eyes glossing over the worn dark wood and the chipped cases that housed spotless weapons. It showed, at the very least, that the man cared about his products.

The man came back out, holding an impossibly long and thin brown rectangular box. It had to be a solid two meters long and it made Sora groan at the very prospect of having to carry it all the way back.

"This is it," The guy said simply, coming around the counter and allowing Sora to glance at a dark pair of jeans.

"Uh, yeah I figured." Sora replied, not stretching his hands out to take it or anything, still fixated on how exactly he was going to get that on the train without hurting himself or others.

The guy seemed to interpret this, and offered Sora's skateboard a flickering glace.

"You're not taking this home on that, are you? You're not going to be able to balance with this, it's not light either." He said, and Sora could _swear_ he heard something distinctly smug in the man's voice. It was mostly masked by how disapproving he sounded.

It made his defiance flare.

Sora reached out, snagging the box and biting his lip at the weight of this thing. How much did this staff even _weigh_?

"I'll manage just _fine_ thanks," Sora said, voice coming out sharp and challenging. Thinking back on it later, Sora would wonder if he saw the briefest flicker of a smirk on the man's features; probably not. He held it diagonal, edging backwards out the store as he kicked his board along with him.

He pushed the door open with his back, somehow managing to get out safely and situate himself on the sidewalk. The man, to Sora's surprise, followed after him. If he was being honest, it was probably just to watch Sora struggle with the package.

"You won't make it back, kid. She lives on the sixth."

"I'll be fine, thanks _so_ much for your worry." Sora said, finding himself speaking harsher than usual. The man didn't seem impressed, watching Sora balance precariously on his skateboard and start to push off.

"Kid-"

"It's Sora. My name's Sora."

"Just leave it. I'll have it delivered tomorrow, voiding the delivery fee. You won't wreck a good staff because you're feeling stubborn."

Before he could protest, the box was lifted from his hands with ease and he found himself facing the man again. He frowned up at him, peeved that he had ignored his name.

"I need to get this back by eight at the latest. It's a present for a friend, just give it, it's not your concern anymore. You sold it, Kairi sent me to pick it up. Whatever happens to it is _our_ problem." Sora said, voice sounding horrifically petulant even to himself.

The man frowned though, holding the box out of reach and shaking his head, making Sora realize that this guy probably cared way too much about weapons, regardless of the owner.

"It's a good staff. The man said simply, turning back towards his shop. Sora followed after him, fully intending to climb up his back to get the stupid staff if he had to.

To his surprise, the man just pulled out a key and locked the front door instead. Sora was too confused to say much of anything at all.

"I'll deliver it myself." The guy said, causing Sora to take a step back and cross his arms.

"I'm not letting it out of my sight," the short brunet said stubbornly.

The man ignored him, walking to a nearby black truck. It looked kind of beat up, but fairly sturdy. Riku would probably like it if he saw it. The man deposited it in the back, leaning it against the top of the tuck and securing it in place with a few cords, which were probably there for an occasion such as this one.

Sora just watched as the man finished, climbed in to the driver's side, and started the car. He finally found his voice though, peering into the passenger side window. Well, where the window was supposed to be. It looked like it was just rolled all the way down, but Sora had a nagging feeling it didn't exist at all.

"Hey-"

"Are you getting in? I don't know where this girl lives." The man said, cutting Sora off and stunning him for a moment.

"Uh- I uh, I don't take rides from strangers." He mumbled automatically, watching as the man raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"Leon," he said simply.

Sora climbed into the car.

* * *

sora im pretty sure he's still a darn stranger


	3. Chapter 3

a small thank you to the anonymous reviewer and the three i thanked personally uvu  
i do like kairi quite a fair bit, and riku gets to help out a little more this chapter  
the three had quite a unique relationship at some point or another

* * *

Sora regretted getting into that stupid car. He didn't know why he was in such a bad mood; but with the combination of his damp uniform, Leon's negative aura, and feeling like a child because he couldn't do this one thing himself, he was feeling pretty pissed.

Most of the ride happened in silence, Leon occasionally inquiring as to which turn to take, but other than that, Sora frowned stubbornly out his window.

Er, window gap.

He quickly found that when he tried to roll the window up, he was greeted with dozens of sharp jagged edges and was chastised for messing with something that wasn't his; which furthered his sour little mood.

When they pulled up to Kairi's house, Sora suddenly felt like a bad friend for giving a stranger directions to her front door, but realized that Leon probably already had her address on file. Sora practically flew out of the car when it came to a stop, moving to the back immediately to try and undo the straps.

Leon actually got out of the truck to help, handing Sora the box without a word and climbing into his car. Sora knew he should probably thank him for giving him a lift, but by the time he'd rescued his skateboard and tucked it under his arm, Leon was already off and driving in the direction that they'd come in.

Sora frowned after the black truck, feeling uneasy for some reason but shaking it off as he trotted up the steps to Kairi's front door. He knocked with the box, the door swinging open to reveal a grinning Kairi as the large thing was instantly tugged from his grasp.

"Sora! Gosh, you're earlier than I thought you'd be. How'd you manage?" She asked, waltzing into her living room and setting the thing down on the carpeted floor. Sora followed after her, shutting the door and toeing off his shoes along the way.

"I ended up getting a ride from the dude who owns the place." He explained, sounding fairly nonchalant about it as he helped Kairi spread out the blue wrapping paper. She paused at that, tilting her head to the side and giving Sora a curious look.

"That's fairly nice of him, how'd you swing that one?" She asked, moving back to the wrapping. Sora sat down and crossed his legs, observing Kairi and letting out a small laugh. Clearly she'd never met the man.

"Dunno. He was real curt and angry looking, like my very being there was damaging his business. He reminded me a bit of Riku, except like ten times less fun. If you think Riku's anal just wait until you meet this guy," he explained, laughing at his own description and causing Kairi to chime in with her pretty laugh.

"Well I didn't meet him, and I don't think I'll get the chance. Mommy was the one that talked to him on the phone," she supplied, beginning the measuring and cutting process. Sora unfolded himself and crawled over to help keep the wrapping in place.

"His voice is deep. Like, not super deep. But smoothish. More mature than Riku's. It had this rough undertone, like he used to smoke or currently smokes or something. Just. He sounded older, you know? And he sounded irritated with me but sometimes he kind of sounded smug. Aka he sounded like an asshole."

"Language!"

"Sorry, sorry. Anyways, he seemed real concerned with the safety of this thing, so he pretty much refused to let me take it on my skateboard. So I ended up in his truck giving him directions to here," he finished, pressing to corners together while Kairi reached for the tape.

She secured the corners, starting on the other side as Sora shifted to accommodate her.

"He sounds nice; not many people just give out rides like that."

"As if. He just wanted this thing to be safe and wouldn't have found your house on his own."

"You seem mad at him."

"Of course I do! He's a total as- well he's just not the nicest person I've ever met ."

"Which is why you noticed so much about his voice, right?" Kairi laughed softly, giving Sora something of a look as he huffed.

"I did not! You would have noticed the same thing- oh don't look at me like that he's rude." He said defensively, taking his hands off the wrapping paper to cross them, leaving Kairi chasing after curling pieces.

"Which is why you're going back tomorrow, right?" She inquired, sounding less teasing and more carefully curious. Sora deflated a little, slumping against the foot of the couch and shrugging his shoulders.

"I dunno. He's got a really nice shop?"

Kairi laughed at his half assed excuse, reaching over and slapping a piece of tape on to his chin.

"You like Riku, it's not strange that you'd like someone who you said is like him. Remember how you were when you two first met? You'd gotten into the worst fist fight I'd ever seen between boys my age. We were five, right? Both of you had come out bloody and bruised and best friends. I'm not saying the same will happen, but you don't have to pretend you don't want to know him even a little bit."

Sora hated it when Kairi got reasonable like this, puffing out his cheeks and picking the strip off tape off his chin. He waited until she was done wrapping the long box in shimmery blue paper before crawling over and laying his head down in her lap.

"I don't think he wants to know me, though." He whined quietly, closing his eyes when Kairi gave him that bright knowing smile that screamed she knew him better than he knew himself.

"You don't know that yet. Just go back tomorrow and thank him for the ride, express your interest in his shop. Make conversation. Do you know his name?" She continued softly, patting Sora's forehead as he made an exaggerated groaning sound.

"Leon."

"That's a pretty name. Now come on! Riku should be by any moment now to collect you."

"You guys make me feel like a little kid being passed off for visitation hours," he grumbled, sitting up off her lap as she laughed openly. She stood first, grabbing his hand and helping him stand up.

"I'm pretty sure that parents don't kiss their kids, Sora." Kairi stated, still laughing lightly and covering her mouth with her hand.

"Well I don't kiss _you_. You've got Tidus and he wasn't cool with that, remember?" Sora said, shooting Kairi a look before smiling when her laughter turned into a worrying frown.

"Hey, hey. No big deal. We couldn't all be close like that forever right? 'Sides, I've still got Riku. I kissed him in the hallway today, did I tell you? He said a teacher saw us, I couldn't stop laughing." Sora said brightly, pulling Kairi's hands into his and causing her to smile once again at his story.

"You're totally irresponsible, you know that?" She said, pulling Sora towards the door as a knocking sound rang out from behind it.

"Yeah, so you guys tell me every other day. I get it already!" He said, laughing and swinging open the door to find Riku looking both lost and a little amused. Kairi was the first to pull him into a tight hug, thanking him for bringing Sora over when he had. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and called that all the thanks he needed.

"You're a womanizer." Sora commented absently, putting on his shoes and grabbing his bag and skateboard. Riku laughed, pulling Sora into a hug which quickly transformed into him giving the shorter boy a noogie. Sora just jammed his board against Riku's torso until he let go, glowering at him and muttering a quiet, "it's true," under his breath.

He received a light slap on his shoulder from Kairi.

"Don't name call. Now get going, I'll see you both sometime next week?" She asked, and they both nodded.

"I'll be sure to set up a date. Happy anniversary Kairi, we're really happy for you," Riku said, leaning down to give her one last hug as she smiled fondly.

"Yeah, happy six months Kai! Hope there are lots more where that came from," Sora put in, receiving a similar hug as Kairi finally shooed them off her front porch.

Outside, Riku pulled Sora over to his car, parked where Leon's truck had been less than an hour ago. Before Riku could make his way over to the driver's side, Sora tugged on his shirt to get him to stop. Riku did little more than give the boy an inquisitive tilt of his head before Sora pulled him down into a tight hug, arms wrapping around Riku's shoulders and standing on tip toes.

Riku returned the gesture immediately, lifting Sora right up off the pavement for it and setting him down not long after.

"You alright?" He asked out of habit.

Sora nodded, pulling away and shooting Riku a weak smile.

"Yeah, just had a weird day. I'm feeling kind of off balance. Help?" He asked quietly, smile wavering at his own request. Riku just offered him something of an understanding smile before sliding his hands upwards. They settled on Sora's cheeks, pulling the shorter boy up a little bit more so their noses could touch.

"Kairi didn't..?" Riku asked softly, breath mingling with Sora's as the brunet shook his head.

That seemed to be all Riku wanted to know as he closed the rest of the distance and pressed their lips together. It wasn't anything like the hallway earlier, that kiss had been short and just a brief touch of the lips.

This was different.

Their lips locked, Sora's fingers worrying into the back of his friend's neck as his mouth opened in a silent invite. Riku didn't take it immediately, instead choosing to suck at Sora's lower lip before finally delving deeper and letting his tongue slip against Sora's.

There was a clink of teeth, a tangle of tongues, and a tilt of both heads. Sora lost himself in it, toes straining to stay on point as Riku's thumbs stroked gently against his cheekbone.

It was a while before the two boys mutually separated, a lingering nip the last thing exchanged as they both brought their hands back to themselves.

"Better?" Riku asked, cocky little smile already gracing his lips. Sora let out a little puff of air with turned into a light little laugh and a nod.

"Much. Drop me off at home?"

"Course, your mom's probably wondering where you are. When was the last time you checked your phone?"

"Oh shit!" Sora exclaimed, scrambling to find the little device in his bag and turning the screen on to find a missed call from both his mother and Riku.

"And the little dreamer boy strikes again." Riku commented with a chuckled, earning himself a warning look from Sora as they both climbed into their respective sides.

"That's not even _funny_." The brunet said sourly, causing Riku to shrug and start up the car.

"You'll appreciate my genius one day."

But Sora was past listening, sliding his phone unlocked to begin the task of calling his mom and telling her why he hadn't picked up and that he was on his way home right now.

Eugh, what an exhausting day.

* * *

i miss leon a bit already, he should be popping up very often though, as of now!


	4. Chapter 4

gosh im super super sorry about the delay, life's been a bit heavy and updating has been the last thing on my mind ):  
also, special thanks to the reviewer XMo, they're such a sweetheart with their reviews and it makes me all smiles when they take so much time to leave a review like that!  
anyhoo, chapter 4! sorry again, I hope it goes alright

* * *

The next two days of the break left Sora busier than he thought he would be, having to cross going all the way to Radiant Garden off his list. Besides, he wasn't sure if the shop was even open on weekends.

He'd arrived home to his mother in a good mood thankfully, and gotten off with little more than a slap on the wrist for coming home late without a warning. Sora suspected Riku had talked to her beforehand and had pre-emptively smoothed things over for him.

But the next morning, Sora was up early helping his mother cook and clean and organize. Apparently they had guests coming over and the house needed to look presentable.

By the time they'd finished, it was late into the afternoon and Sora had to sit around for the rest of the day making small talk with family friends he didn't really know.

The day after consisted of a flurry of outside chores, mowing the lawn and weeding and washing the car took longer than he expected, and he cursed when he got roped into helping with the garden out back. Exhausted, he'd collapsed in his bed without even texting his friends.

The third day however, left him completely free and fairly excited. He'd woken up around noon, immediately popping into the bathroom to brush his teeth and have a shower. Once out, he didn't fuss with his spikes at all, instead leaving them to their wild antics and getting dressed.

The heat was madness.

It felt like it was two thousand degrees out with no sign of clouds in sight. And Sora loved it.

Slipping into grey shorts that reached just above his knees and a light blue sleeveless, Sora was set to bear the heat and score himself something of a tan. The silver necklace was a given, never taking it off for anything.

His phone and wallet were loosely jammed into his pockets, treading downstairs to find his mom already in the midst of preparing lunch.

"Heading out, hun?" She asked when Sora entered the kitchen, bright smile on her face for the boy. Sora nodded, snatching an apple out of the fridge and securing it in his palm.

"Yeah, I'll probably be back way later. Maybe around seve- oh man, are you making burgers?"

Sidetracked at the thought of a really good lunch, Sora stuck around to chat and ensure that there would be a portion left over for him when he got home.

With a kiss to his mother's cheek, he was off again, slipping into a worn pair of grey high-tops. He'd wanted to wear flip flops, but riding a board was a bit difficult with them, so sneakers it was.

He knew he probably looked ridiculous with them along with his shorts, but he couldn't be bothered to care very much about it at all.

He snagged his other board this time, the same style as the white one but a deep midnight blue. This was his favorite, and apple in hand, the boy took off down the street.

He skateboarded most of the way, devouring the apple in a couple of bites and enjoying the sun beating down on him. Though the temperature was hotter, Sora took his sweet time in getting all the way to Hollow Bastion and didn't even break a sweat.

He'd stopped a couple times to pet a dog out for a walk with its owner or take advantage of a public water fountain, but eventually ended up standing in front of a pretty display window housing guns. He couldn't recall what it'd been the day that he'd been here, but today it was three different kinds of what looked like shotguns.

Finally though, he pressed his way into the shop to find Leon sitting on a high chair behind his counter. He thought he saw surprise flit across the man's face, but it was replaced with displeasure too quickly for Sora to be sure.

"You're still too young," Leon said automatically, crossing his arms and managing to look even more unwelcoming than before.

"I'm still not here to buy anything. I wasn't aware I had to be nineteen to so much as be in the store," Sora said, picking up his board and strolling over to press it against the bottom of the counter.

Leon let out a noncommittal grunt, proving that Sora did indeed have every right to be there.

A silence draped over them, prompting Sora to turn around and move to observe the longer swords. He stuck to the sign, not reaching out to touch any of the tempting blades and just tilting practically upside down to look at them.

He adored swords, they were absolutely gorgeous.

They still didn't hold a candle to the prized possession he had hanging on his own wall, but he liked them just the same.

"These are in really good condition," he murmured absently, listening as there was a shuffle and a thud, turning to find Leon now standing.

"I know." The man said, giving Sora a weary look.

"I'm not a little kid, I'm not going to break anything," the boy said pointedly, gesturing towards a katana in its sheath and walking back towards the counter.

"You're still a kid."

"I'm sixteen this year."

Leon gave him a look, as if to say Sora had just proved his point with those four words. He didn't seem like he was going to say anything else, so Sora took it upon himself to continue the conversation.

"I know how to handle a blade," he said, drawing an absent pattern on the counter as Leon looked past him. Sora's curiosity was again drawn to the scar, but he didn't say anything, figuring it'd probably be rude.

"Is that so?" The older man said, and Sora had a feeling he was just being polite and humoring him.

"Mhm, I'm in the kendo club at school and I've got two at home."

"Two katanas?"

Sora grinned when Leon finally focused that steel blue gaze on him.

"One katana; one, uhm, different kind of sword. But I can handle them both." He explained, resting his elbows on the counter as Leon sat back down on his tall chair.

"What kind of sword?" Leon prompted, and Sora felt accomplished that he was engaging the man that had been so unresponsive.

Sora opened his mouth to answer but then closed it with a shake of his head.

"Can't tell; it's special is all." He said with a shrug, pushing away from the counter to explore deeper into the store, behind shelves and cases.

"Oi-"

"I'm not touching anything," he reassured, smiling to himself as he heard Leon get up and follow after him. After all he was just some little stranger overly curious about a little weapons shop.

It was dimmer back here, a flickering orange lamp the only illuminator. Sora instantly decided he liked what was back here a lot more than what was on display out front. These weapons were older, clearly used and not in the shiny new conditions that people liked to see.

Everything had a violent air to it, like all the tools had once been used for more grizzly tasks than to sit behind slightly dusty cases and slowly grow unusable with age.

It was clear though, that Leon still took good care of them.

Though old, none were rusting and the dust was reserved explicitly for the cases and not the weapons themselves.

His eye was drawn to a small dagger that wasn't behind any case at all. Its hilt was worn but the blade looked just as sharp as ever. The one disturbing thing was that despite how well cared for it looked, half the blade was tinged a dark red with what looked like very old dried blood.

Despite his promise not to touch, Sora felt himself reaching out towards the tiny thing. Before he could make contact with it though, he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder and spin him around. He let out an involuntary yelp, having lost himself in the atmosphere of the place and shot Leon and sheepish look.

"I didn't touch it."

"Because I stopped you."

The hand was removed from his shoulder, and Sora was given a look so harsh that he scampered back to the front of the store.

Making a beeline towards his skateboard, the brunet picked it up and leaned towards the door. He offered Leon a bright smile and rejoiced when he saw a flicker of confusion on the man's features. He opened the door, stepping one foot outside and waving.

"Thanks for the ride the other day, by the way. I'll be back tomorrow!" He said brightly, turning quickly and hopping out the door before Leon could protest.

Grinning widely at nothing in particular, Sora had a jogging start on his board before slapping it down and stepping onto it to head home.

Looking at his phone, he found that it was only four in the afternoon. Sighing, he decided that he had a bunch of time to kill before going straight home.

* * *

ahhh okay a bit short but it seemed like an alright place to end it  
thoughts?


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